


Sticks and Stones

by Drushilla



Category: The Expanse (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-24
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-05-13 08:02:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14745017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drushilla/pseuds/Drushilla
Summary: As Eros succumbs to the Protomolecule, Anna gets taken aboard the Rocinante with other refugees. Ajusting to her new life on the Roci will also make it harder to hide what she is running from, and why she was on Eros in the first place.Starts during s1/e10. Canon divergent.





	1. Martian vs. Earther

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at an Expanse fic. Comments are greatly appreciated.  
> I don't own the expanse or any of the characters, except for my OFC. This is just for fun :)

Alex finished up the medical scan on the belter in front of him. So far they had all been negative. Only a few left now, and he could get back to his chair and the controls of the Roci. The next man lined up and held out his hand. Negative. One left. An earther woman stepped forward. Alex blinked. What was an earther doing among the scruffy belters they had picked up escaping Eros? She didn’t look that different from the rest though, scruffy clothes, slightly dirty from dock work. But her height and build betrayed her. Her stance even, straight backed and almost defiant. Not defiant like the belters looking for trouble. More subtle. Definitely earther. He wrapped the medical scanner around her arm. She looked straight at him, trying to read his expression, as he read the scanner.  
“All good”, he finally said, releasing the scanner from her arm. He was about to ask what she was doing here, but she had already moved away, back into the small compartment, sitting down between the belters, not looking at him anymore.  
He locked the compartment, casting a final glance in the window, before moving away. He got to the galley just in time to see Naomi push Amos off Miller. He lingered in the doorway a minute, seeing that the situation was already under control. He really didn’t want to be in the middle of it when Amos lost it. When he was assured there was no need for him, he went back up to his chair at the top tier of the Roci, and sat down with a sigh.  
“Hello, baby”, he purred, stroking the controls. They were flying to Tycho station. He had plotted the course and checked everything twice. There really wasn’t anything he needed to do, unless an alarm signaled, which it didn’t. Footsteps on the ladder behind him. He could hear it was Holden.  
“Howdy, Cap.” He said, as Holden sat down in the chair next to him.  
“How’d it go with the tests?” Holden asked warily, stroking a hand over his chin, looking thoroughly run down.  
“All clear, no protomolecule in any of them,” Alex looked at him, “What about you?” he said.  
“Alright,” his captain replied, “Naomi fixed us up in the medical bay, gotta go down and sit there for a while yet, booster doses.”  
Alex nodded. Holden stood up and was about to leave.  
“There is an earther chick in with the belters we picked up,” Alex swiveled his chair around to face Holden.  
“And?”  
“I don’t know, maybe we should get her her own compartment?”  
Holden sighed. It looked like he was about to refuse, but thought better of it.  
“You take care of it” he said, before going down the stairs.  
Alex wasn’t sure if it had supposed to be a question or an order. Didn’t much matter anyhow. 

Alex watched the compartment door slide open. Two of the belters got up and walked towards him.  
“You taking us for our daily exercise now, jailor?” one of the mockingly asked. Jailor was ok. He felt like a jailor. But Holden had ordered them to be locked up. Couldn’t have them walking around the ship. Atleast they didn’t have issues with him now because he was martian.  
“No”, he said, and took a step into the room. “You”, he said, looking at the earther, “come with me.”  
“What you want with her then, ey?” One of the belters moved infront of him, as the earther woman stood up. He could see her eyeing him suspiciously from behind the belters back.  
“The captain would like to speak with her.” It was a lie of course, but he didn’t want to find out how they would react to the news that one of them was getting private quarters, even if it was because of her gender. Or origin planet. Special treatment for earthers wouldn’t go down well. The belter didn’t move, only loomed over him. “What’s your captain gonna do then?” he said. A small hand landed on the belters shoulder. Alex almost smiled when he saw that she was standing on her tip-toes to reach up to him. But her voice was calm.  
“It’s alright.” she said, and stepped forward, the belter reluctantly moving out of her way. “Sorry ‘bout that, protective bunch, you know?” she half smiled at Alex, but her eyes were still guarded.  
“No problem,” Alex put his face in neutral folds and stepped out into the hallway. She joined him, and he closed the compartment door again, locking it, while the belter stared out at them.  
“So what’s this about?” she asked, as she followed him along the corridor. Alex didn’t answer. They rounded a corner, and went up a flight of stairs. Another corridor. Another corner. He stopped infront of an inconspicuous looking door, and keyed it open. The door slid away, revealing a small room, with a table, two chairs, and a bunk. A small door lead off to the side to the tiny bathroom. Alex lifted his hand to invite her in, but she didn’t go. He turned to her, and saw she had taken three steps back, away from him, a stony expression on her face.  
“No, no, no.” He mumbled. “It’s not like that.” He could see she didn’t believe him. “I just thought..” he started, but she was backing up again. He took a step towards her, holding out his palms to signal no danger, but she bolted. She was gone around the corner of the corridor before he even realized she had moved. Cursing under his breath he followed. 

Anna was sick of it. All of it. Everything always had to go to hell just when she was getting used to how they were. She still had no idea what exactly had happened to all those people on Eros. But it was clear that it was best to get the hell out of there. When her fellow dockworkers had been taken onboard the Rocinante, she had followed along with them, not really having any other option. She didn’t really like them. Working the docks of Eros meant dealing with alot of different kinds of people. Not all good. Very few good. But she didn’t mind them. She had worked alongside several of them for some time, they had gotten used to her, and she to them. They weren’t friends. But they tolerated each other. Being locked in a small compartment with them for days, on a strange ship, not knowing where they were heading, really put a strain on the whole tolerating each other part. So when the martian came to collect her to go talk to the captain, she went along, even though every bone in her body told her there was something weird going on. There was no reason the captain wanted to speak to her. Or any of them. Least of all her. When he opened the door to the quarters and waved his hand in the direction of the bunk, all her suspicions were affirmed. Stupid to leave the safety of her dockers. Stupid, stupid, stupid. But she wouldn’t go down quietly. If it was up to her, she wouldn’t go down at all. And, still standing in the corridor, she realized, for a little while longer at least, it was still up to her. When he started to move towards her, her legs moved of their own accord. She didn’t know where she was going. Just away. There was no point going back to the compartment. The dockers were locked in, she had no way of opening the lock herself. They would be no help to her. So she passed the stairwell, and continued on. Turning another corner, looking behind her, she crashed into something big and hard. Strong hands clamped down on her shoulders, and she looked up into an amused grin.  
“Going somewhere?” the man said, smirking. He was from Earth, she could tell from his tight build. Not long and skinny like the belters. Bulging biceps looked like they could rip the seams of his flightsuit any second. Flightsuit. He was one of the crew. Of course he was. Bright blue eyes twinkled down at her. She opened her mouth to speak, but the martian came up behind her.  
“Amos.” he said. Blue eyes shifted towards the martian.  
“Just a misunderstanding.” the martian continued. “was just taking her to her cabin.” The grip on her shoulders lessened slightly, but the smirk stayed on Amos’ face.  
“I should probably get Naomi to do it.” the martian continued, eyeing her, and started to walk past them, “watch her till I get back?” he said to Amos, and Anna picked up on the hesitation in his voice. He got a nod in response, and left. She looked back up at the blue eyed man. He was staring right back at her. Guess he takes his instructions literally, she thought. She lowered her gaze, his eyes too intense. He was built like a truck. She sighed internally, there would be no chance of running off down a corridor now. She watched the corridor where the martian had disappeared, but it remained empty.  
“No one is gonna’ hurt you” blue eyes said. Amos, the martian had called him. She looked back up at him, his face was serious now, but the staring was constant.  
“Oh ok, if you say so”, she replied, sarcasm coating every word. The smirk was back. She found herself suddenly locked in a staring contest. Refusing to be the first to look away, she straightened her back as best she could while still in his grip. “You could just let me go,” she said, well aware of the futility of the request.  
“Nah, can’t have you running around the ship, getting in the way.” he said. Suddenly he spun her around, and pushed her along down the corridor. She almost had to run to keep ahead of his long strides, grip still firm on her shoulders, guiding her infront of him. When she saw the open door to the quarters she had run away from, she started to struggle. Amos simply slung an arm around her waist and lifted her, carrying her inside, kicking and scratching him as best she could. He put her down on the bunk and released her.  
“Stay.” he said, the staring was back. Anna pulled herself back against the wall and watched as he slowly backed towards the door. When he was out in the hallway he smirked, and keyed the door shut from the outside, locking it. 

Alex couldn’t find Naomi anywhere. Holden was sitting in the medbay when he poked his head in.  
“Haven’t seen her for a while.” he shrugged at Alex’ question of Naomi. Alex went back through the galley. Stopped by Naomi's quarters and knocked on her door, but there was no sound coming from there. He went back to the corridor where he had left the earther woman with Amos. His stomach did a small flip when he found it empty. He hurried along it, and before reaching the corner, Amos came walking towards him. Alex looked at him questioningly.  
“What?” said Amos, his face blank.  
“Where is she?” Alex asked.  
“I put her in her quarters.” Amos shrugged and walked on. “I told you to wait for me.” Alex called after him. He got no reply. 

After Anna had forced her pulse to slow down to a normal pace, she eyed her quarters. Sleek walls, a cabinet she hadn’t noticed earlier was to the side inside the door. She opened it and found it fully stocked. Clothes, martian navy uniforms, but also bland civilian clothes, underwear, towels, socks, hygiene articles. She peeked into the door on the side. A small bathroom, just enough room for a toilet, sink and a shower. A shower. Her first impulse was to drag her clothes off and get in, but she hesitated. Bad idea. Anyone could walk through that door at any time. She had been enough stupid for one day. She went back to the main room, and sat down on the bunk again, pulling the table closer. Tapping the console built into the table, she pulled up the display. There was nothing there that could tell her anything she didn’t already know. This was a martian ship. But it’s wasn’t crewed by the martian navy. Didn’t seem like pirates either, she had never heard of pirates bringing along refugees from a dying station before. She positioned the table between the bunk and the door, and curled up, lying on the bunk, staring at the door. It was as if she could see the blue eyed man on the other side of it, smirking.  
A knocking sound made her sit up. She hadn’t realized she had fallen asleep. According to the timer on the table-display, she had been out for over four hours. She rubbed her eyes. Another knock. All her muscles tensed in anticipation.  
“Yes?” her voice came out hoarse, but the door slid open. A woman stood in the doorway, carrying a tray of food. She was tall, dark skin that looked really soft, and a belter tattoo around her neck. Her hair was shaved close at the sides, with a strikingly shiny mop at the top. She came in, setting the tray down on the table.  
“Hi,” she said with a small smile. “I’m Naomi.”  
“Hi”, Anna couldn’t make her sleep-addled brain think of anything else to say.  
“Eat.” Naomi tilted her head towards tray on the table, and walked back out the door. In the doorway she stopped, looking like she was going to say something. But then she just smiled instead, and keyed the pad on the outside. The door slid closed and locked.  
Anna ate. The food was quite bland, the same stuff they had given all the dockers since they had been onboard, but it wasn’t bad. As she finished it and drank half the flask of water in one go, she felt her muscles starting to relax again. Maybe it was the food in her belly, or Naomi’s soft eyes, but she found herself wondering if maybe she had misjudged the martian. He hadn’t seemed all that threatening. Hindsight is a bitch. The dockers jumpiness had rubbed off on her, and now it was starting to fade again. Bad idea to let it fade. She lay back down on the bunk, staring up into the ceiling.


	2. Tray

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amos comes to pick up the tray.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no shame. Smut inc!

A couple of days later Anna had gotten used to the routine. Naomi usually brought in a tray of food, and came by again later to pick it up. There wasn’t much talking. Not much to talk about, she guessed. Naomi had tried to ask her about how she came to be on Eros. Anna didn’t really want to share, especially since they weren’t telling her where they were going. She hadn’t seen the martian again. Nor the dockers. Naomi asked once if she wanted to go down and visit them. But Anna declined. She didn’t know how to explain to them why she was given separate quarters, unless the crew knew something that they didn't share. The thought had crossed her mind that maybe she was infected after all. That this was a kind of quarantine. But then the crew wouldn’t be coming into the room, at least not without biohazard suits. 

The next time there was a knock on the door she was in the shower. She had finally given in to the urge to get properly clean, not just quick hurried wash in the tiny sink. The slightly artificial smell of patchouli of the martian-brand shampoo she found in the cabinet having lured her in. The shower seemed to wash her stress away. She had finished rinsing off and grabbed the towel she brought in when she heard the knock.   
“Just a sec”, she called, quickly drying off and wrapping the towel around her. It wasn’t that big. She stepped out into the room expecting the door to be closed, Naomi waiting on the other side. The door was closed. But Amos was standing in the middle of the room, which now seemed quite cramped. She stopped, a hand gripping on the towel holding it in place, eyeing him. He stared back, his face expressionless.   
“Hi”, she said warily. He blinked.  
“Just came for the tray”, Amos said, not moving, not even looking towards the table where the tray was.   
“Okay.” Anna said, a hesitant smile.   
Amos took a step towards her, and stopped. She didn’t back away. She didn’t run back into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Her brain was tingling with fucks not given. She was tired of giving a fuck about anything. She kept her eyes on him though. He was looking at her towel now. He licked his lips. Then looked back up to her face. Hesitantly he took another step towards her, watching her face for a reaction. When she didn’t back away, he tilted his head and smirked.  
“Wanna fuck?” he asked.  
“Direct.” she said, raising an eyebrow.  
“Best to avoid misunderstandings.” he shrugged.  
Without stopping to think about what she was doing, she released her grip on the towel, and let it slide down to the floor.   
He stood there, letting his gaze run up and down her body.  
“That a yes?” he asked, small smirk forming on his lips.  
“Yes.” Anna said. Almost before the word was out, he had closed the distance between them. His lips were on hers, soft at first, then his tongue was nudging her mouth open. As his large hands came around her to squeeze her ass, she let him in, sliding her tongue over his. She put her hands around his neck, swirling her fingers in his short hair. One of his hands came trailing up her spine, featherlight touches that tickled and tingled. It came to rest in her hair, fisting a handful of it and pulling her head to the side to give him better access. He pushed her back into the wall, pressing himself against her, and she felt her legs go jelly as his tongue dominated her mouth.   
Her breath was already ragged when he took a small step back and pulled down the zipper of his flight suit, pulling his arms out of it and pulling his tee shirt off, all in one fluid motion.   
She put her hands on the panes of his chest, sliding them down. All hard muscles. Too much to grab. She rubbed his nipple slightly with her thumb, and twirled it between her thumb and forefinger, and was pleased to see a small shiver run through him. It only lasted a split second though, before he pressed against her again, his forehead against hers, staring into her eyes and his hands moved their way slowly down her body, one coming to rest around her breast, the other making its way down between her legs. He licked her lips and she instinctively opened her mouth for him. But he just kept watching her as he slid his fingers over her slit, back and forth, sliding in between her folds alittle further each time. She bucked her hips, pressing against his hand. “I’ll give it to you, princess.” he chuckled. The smile faded again as his fingers found her clit and ran her own juices over it. Still watching her intently, he slid one thick finger into her, making her breath hitch. Slowly he twisted it around inside her, before withdrawing it and inserting it again. The finger withdrew again, stroking slowly up over her clit and back down again. This time it was joined by another. Two thick fingers burrowed their way into her, and Anna spread her legs wider to accommodate them. He finally kissed her then, lazily, tormentingly calm, as Anna grasped at his shoulders and pressed herself onto his fingers. A moan escaped her when his thumb came up to her clit and his fingers started fucking her faster. When she thought her legs were about to give out, his fingers retreated. He held them up, they were slick with her juices, and he kept his eyes on hers as he put them in his mouth and licked them clean. Then bent down and pulled his boots off before stripping off his flightsuit and boxers in one go. Anna couldn’t help but stare at his erection, standing proud, pointing at her. It was big and pink, with a girth that almost made her regret dropping her towel. Almost. Before she had much time to consider it, his mouth was on hers again, and she could taste herself on his tongue. He tilted her head slightly with his hand, before both hands suddenly grabbed the back of her thighs and lifted her up on the wall, legs spread out, she locked them around his waist. He held her up, taking her left nipple in his mouth, swirling his tongue around it, making her stifle a squeal. He bit it gently, eyeing her face, then let his tongue get back at it, while he slowly lowered her down to his cock. With one hand, he made the head of it slowly circle her entrance. Anna held on firmly to his shoulders, not truly believing that he could hold her up with only one arm, even in .5 g. She tensed when the head of his cock entered her, his hand moving to her ass to guide her down onto it.   
“Relax” he whispered in her ear, and she took several deep breaths. He began slowly lowering her further, filling her, stretching her, she could feel her inner walls struggling to adjust. The urge to stop fought with the urge to have him quickly ram it all into her. Neither won. Just the slow, agonizing sliding down on his cock till he was fully sheathed. He stood still then, waiting for her to catch her breath, the one she hadn’t realized she was holding. Magnificent fullness dulled her brain and made her toes tingle. But it wasn’t enough. She needed movement. But there was no purchase to push off from. Realizing that he was waiting for her signal, she nodded. He started to withdraw, slowly at first, pushing back into her in shallow thrusts. She leaned into him, nibbling and licking his neck up to his earlobe and biting it gently. His hand squeezed her ass and she stared at his wet, kiss-swollen lips as she leaned back against the wall, arching her back, pressing her breasts against him. He sped up then, grinding into her, deeper, faster and faster, until her breath hitched, her fingers clutching at his arms, and loud moans she was hardly aware of pressed their way out of her throat. She came like a thunderstorm, sensation bouldering through her, lightning scorching through her body, sizzling their way from her core out to all her outer extremities. She scratched at his arms, trying to grab on, and break free at the same time. He thrust hard into her all the way through it, her walls clenched around him, till she was panting, eyes watery, head slung back against the wall. He slowed down, and slid out of her.   
“Fucking hell, princess.” He said in her ear as he gathered her up in his arms and carried her over to the bed. He put her down and flipped her over. Anna was on all fours, eyes blinking, hardly knowing where she was, when she felt his hand on her hip. He entered her again, slowly at first, but quickly picking up the pace as the moans started pouring out of her again. He put a hand on her back and pushed her further down onto the bunk. Anna went willingly, resting her face on the bunk and moved her hips back, eager for more. The angle put his thrusts deeper, growing faster. He grabbed onto her hips, plunging harder and harder with each stroke, balls slapping against her clit. It was like he was splitting her pussy open, her face pushed down onto the bunk, slight sliver of pain melting in with pleasure. The relentless pounding made her want to gasp, but she couldn’t because she was screaming. She was coming again, her pussy throbbing and clenching, her hand grasping fistfuls of sheet, until it was torn away, she was pulled up, a large hand clamped over her mouth, another holding her still while he continued to fuck her, but it only made her come harder. She pressed her hips back and opened her mouth, latching on to a thick finger, sucking it hard as she heard his exasperated grunts in her ear, and felt his cock twitch vigorously inside her as her walls milked him dry.   
He let himself fall on his side onto the bunk, Anna stretching out her legs, still on her stomach. He was breathing audibly. She turned to face him and saw that the staring was back. His hand came to her face, lightly brushing away a wet strand of hair. She almost sighed into the touch, but then it was gone. He was getting up and starting to pull his clothes back on.   
“Better take that tray back now”, he said, picking it up and leaving.


	3. Breakfast

“How is the prisoner in cell block 2 doing?” Holden asked while smelling his coffee. Miller was struggling with the coffee maker and Holden was eyeing him, worried that he might break it.   
Naomi sighed. “They’re not prisoners”. She started, sitting down by the galley table and watching Holden pretend to look apologetic for his joke. “I don’t know if putting her there was the best idea.” she continued, as Alex walked in and past them, heading for the kitchen counters.   
“Would you rather keep her cramped in with the rest of the dockers, little experiment to see how long before they flip on the earther?” he said, looking at Naomi.  
“Of course not,” she sighed again, and Alex turned and pressed the right buttons on the coffee machine, filling Millers cup. Naomi waited till he turned back to face her.  
“I just think being locked in a small space all alone for days isn’t good for anyone. She could help out around the ship. Be around people.”  
“Pretty sure she doesn’t want to be around me”, Alex said, handing Miller his cup and putting a fresh one in the machine for himself. “That was a misunderstanding.” Naomi started, but Holden interrupted her;  
“This isn’t a leisure craft and we are not running a cruiseliner here.” he took a sip of his coffee and looked at Naomi. “We go to Tycho, and the refugees from Eros will be Fred Johnsons concern.”  
“Yeah, but Tycho is still a month away. We got an earther who was a dockworker on Eros. Aren’t you even a little curious as to what that is about? All other Earthers this far out in the belt have all been either private corporates or attached to some security firm. You have to admit it is a little odd.”  
Holden shrugged. “Did you ask her?”  
“She still doesn’t trust us. Not that we have given her much reason to.”  
“We saved her from the protomolecule.” Holden huffed. Naomi ignored him and continued.  
“Separating her from the others. Keeping her locked up. Noone to talk to. I tried a couple of times. She's nice. But not very forthcoming. I guess Alex didn’t much help that. Did you talk to her about it?” Naomi turned back to Alex.  
“Hell no,” he said, “I’ve been keeping as far away from there as I can.”  
“Want me to do it?” Miller asked.   
“Do what exactly?” Naomi said.  
“Talk to her. Tell her all about what a warm, fuzzy, friendly bunch you are.” he said, while stroking the bruises on his neck, where Amos had nearly strangled him. “and get her to tell me all her secrets. It’s my job you know.” he smiled.  
“It was your job,” Holden said, “and you weren't all that good at it” he flung a teasing smile in Millers direction and got up. “If you want her help on the engineering floor, go for it, otherwise keep her locked up so we know where she is.” he left.

 

“Hey”. Naomi stood in the doorway. Anna hadn’t heard her knocking, but she had been fast asleep, more relaxed than she could remember having been in ages.   
“Hey.” she sat up, bringing her blanket up with her. Naomi walked in and put a fresh tray on the table. Anna waited for her to leave, but instead Naomi gestured at one of the chairs. Wide belter hand movements. Anna nodded and Naomi sat down.   
“I get that it gets boring in here.” Naomi looked at her. Anna couldn’t help but smile and shrug. “We are still several weeks from our destination. I was thinking maybe you would like to come and help me out sometimes, just some routine maintenance around the ship. Might help break up the monotony?”  
“Sure.” Anna couldn’t help but like Naomi. She had just the right balance of push and retreat. Must be good at reading people. Anna suddenly became conscious of her naked leg sticking out from under the blanket. “When?” she asked. Naomi stood up, still smiling. “How about tomorrow? Got a few air filters need changing.” Anna nodded, and Naomi went to the door. She stopped and turned around before opening it, “Alex didn’t mean to freak you out, you know?” she said. The martian had a name. Anna smiled “I guess I was a tad bit jumpy” she replied. Naomi’s smile widened. “Tomorrow then.” She left, locking the door with the pad outside. 

The next day, Naomi showed up a bit later than usual. No tray.   
“Thought we could grab breakfast in the galley first” she said, stepping aside to let Anna go out the door before closing it again. Anna only nodded, then followed Naomi through the corridors to the kitchen area. Naomi went over to the counter and checked the slow cooker. “Still some porridge left for us, bowls are in that cabinet.” she said, and opened a drawer fishing out spoons. Alex came in as Anna had her head inside the cabinet, pulling out two bowls. He stopped when he saw her. She put the bowls on the counter and closed the cabinet door.  
“Eh..hi” she said, aware of Naomi watching them as she reached for the bowls and started ladling porridge into them.  
“Howdy” said Alex, looking so uncomfortable it made Anna smile. He relaxed a bit; “sorry about before, should’ve…”   
“No worries,” said Anna, taking one of the bowls from Naomi, “Sorry for misunderstanding. Was a bit high strung.”  
“Yeah, well of course, I think we all are after Eros”, Alex ran his fingers through his beard as Anna and Naomi sat down at the table. “Yeah” Naomi said. They began to eat and Alex went and made himself some tea. Naomi gave Anna a smirk and received one in return. Alex came back to the table.   
“May I?” he said, looking at Anna and indicating at one of the free chairs. Naomi almost spit her porridge out snorting a laugh. “Why, of course” Anna answered in her most formal voice, inviting him with her hand, like he had done at her quarters. Alex looked at her hesitantly for a split second then a big grin appeared on his face and he sat down.   
“Told you we should let her out, she won’t bite” Naomi giggled at Alex.   
“I’m not so sure about that” Amos’ voice came from the doorway. His face was deadpan as he walked to the coffee machine and started making a cup. Anna finished her breakfast and Naomi snatched her bowl and took them to the recycler chute. “Want some coffee?” she asked as Anna got up from the table. “Nah, I’m good, thanks.”  
“Alright then, this way”. Anna glanced at Amos as she passed him following Naomi out the door. His face was expressionless, but the staring was back. 

They spent most of the day changing air filters, hauling the old ones to the hold for repairs later. Naomi was in a chatty mood and it started to rub off on Anna. Naomi was telling her about Alex’ love for the Roci, when she stopped mid sentence and turned to Anna. “I don’t know your last name” she said, holding the filter in place with one hand and pointing at a nut. “Does it matter?” Anna said, handing the nut to her. “Guess not” Naomi shrugged and went back to securing the filter in place. “Jones” said Anna. Naomi turned to her again. “Really?” she said, shaking her head, and turning back to the filter. “Anna Jones. That’s quite nondescript isn’t it.” Anna laughed. “That’s the idea”.


	4. Air-filter maneuvers

Naomi came and got her every day after the crew had finished their breakfast. Most days it was only the two of them in the galley, sometimes Alex joined them. His chatty nature and relaxed disposition put Anna at ease. She could no longer imagine ever having been afraid of him. Almost a week had passed since Naomi first had let her out. They were down in the hold, sorting out the old air filters according to what needed fixing, when Naomi’s radio buzzed. Alex was asking her to come up to the bridge and look at something. Naomi replied that she would be right there. Anna went to follow her as she went towards the stairs. Naomi turned and stopped. “Won’t take long, just continue disassembling that filter while I’m gone.” she said. Anna looked at her “Don’t you need to lock me up in the meantime?” the words just fell out of of her mouth, she would have gathered them up with her hand and shoved them back in if she could. Naomi smiled, “Nah, I think you’re domesticated enough to be left alone for a bit now” she said, winking at her, and went up the stairs.   
Anna went back to the filter. She sat down on the floor and unscrewed the screws holding the front panel in place. She was tugging at the heavy panel when Amos appeared. “Need help with that?” he asked. “Yeah, I must have missed something” she said, eyeing the panel. He came over and sat down on his haunches beside her. A finger pointed at some tiny indentations in the panel. “Extra pressure screws. Need to take them out first. Need a 1mm pressure drill for those.” He looked around and his eyes found one hanging on the wall. “Not sure I trust you with that thing though”, he said smirking, and got up to fetch it. He unscrewed the first of the tiny screws, putting it in his pocket, before handing her the drill. Anna took it, and scanned the panel for the next minute indentation. She found it and aligned the drill. “A bit straighter,” Amos said, putting his hand over hers. “Watch out for the recoil” he smirked and Anna bit back the snarky comment that was dancing on the tip of her tongue. She pressed the buttons gently and the screw whirled up and landed nicely on the panel. Amos removed his hand and got to his feet. “You can handle the drill,” he looked down at her, eerily expressionless as he spoke “I wonder what else you can handle.” Anna held out her hand for the first screw, and he plucked it from his pocket. As he handed it to her she said, “You’d be surprised.” He flashed her a grin that almost completely transformed his face. Then he walked away towards the stairs. He was halfway up when his radio buzzed. It was Naomi. “Amos, are you in the hold?” she asked. “Yeah, coming up now.” he replied and continued up the stairs as Naomi's voice buzzed through again “Can you take Anna to her quarters and make sure she straps in, please, we are going to do some maneuvering.” “Sure thing, boss.” Amos replied and turned to wait for Anna to catch up with him on the stairs.   
When she got on the bunk Amos quickly secured the belts around her and headed out the door. The com system on the wall buzzed to life, Alex’ voice. “Anyone not strapped in, do so now, we are going for a ride”. He must have been transmitting to the whole ship. It wasn’t long before the gravity increased and she felt herself being pushed further down into the bunk. The thrusters must have kicked in. A couple of quick jolts rumbled. Other than that, there wasn’t much turbulence. Anna tried to relax while waiting for more, but it didn’t come. After a while she felt lighter again, the bunk was no longer trying the smother her from below. Normalcy. Alex’ voice chirped in through the coms. “And we’re all good, folks.” he said.


	5. Not Today

The next day Naomi didn’t show up as early as usual. Anna explored the desk display for the hundredth time, still no new information had been added after the maneuvers the day before. When Naomi finally came it was early afternoon. She opened the door, and brought in a tray.   
«No air filters today?» Anna asked, trying to hide her disappointment as she took the tray. Naomi looked tired, and gave her only a small smile. «Not today.» She shrugged apologetically with her hands, and left. Anna looked at the food. Being locked in the room was starting to get to her, more now than before. She felt the tiny air filter screws in her pocket. She took them out and flipped them between her fingers. The ship made a small shuddering movement and the screws flew out if her hand. She dropped to the floor, searching for the tiny bastards that had rolled in different directions. The ship made another shudder, stronger this time. As it re-stabilised, she heard the door closing behind her. Looking over the shoulder, she saw Amos standing inside the door, looking at her.   
«Come for the tray?» she said, straightening her back. He looked at the table and back at her, shaking his head slowly. The staring was intensifying. Anna started to get to her feet, but Amos closed the distance in an instance and put his hands on her shoulders, pinning her in place. He was looking down on her, his face expressionless. «What?» she said. He tilted his head, obviously not intent on answering. A small smile appeared in the corner of his mouth. But then he spoke; «We’re going to maneuver again soon, but we have some time.»  
Anna smirked, «how much time?» she asked. «Just enough.»  
She wasn’t sure if the gravity had increased or if the pressure of his hands were intensifying. She grabbed his arms and tried to pull herself up. Before she knew it he had lifted and pushed her down on the bunk. He pulled her trousers down, and Anna quickly licked her fingers and slipped her hand down to her clit. She rubbed it gently preparing herself as Amos pulled his flight suit down and positioned himself behind her, resting his hand on her hip. His cock stroked gently against her.   
“Why are we going to maneuver again?” Anna asked, rocking slightly back towards him. He pulled away slightly. She heard him spit in his hand, before he slowly circled her entrance, wettening her slowly, and slipping a finger into her pussy. “Can't tell you,” he said, retreating his finger and replacing it with the head of his cock.   
“Why not?” Anna asked as she pressed her ass backwards. Amos gripped her hips with both hands. “Captain`s orders.” he grunted as he plunged into her. The growing intensity of his thrusts wiped all other questions from her mind. She heard her own moans come out staccatoed. His hands clamped down on her sides, and she twisted her arm back to pry one of them off. He grabbed her arm and held it behind her back. His other hand grabbed her hair and pulled her up. Anna froze form the unexpected movement. She felt his breath on her neck, and his voice whispered in her ear. “You still with me, princess?” His tongue ran circles behind her ear, and his cock twitched playfully inside her. Anna shivered slightly and squeezed her pussy around his cock. “Yup”, she said, voice sounding hoarse. His hand slid out of her hair as he resumed his movement, thrusting up, her pussy now quivering around him of its own accord. His hand slid around her shoulders and came to rest around her throat. Anticipating. Her pussy betrayed her, it started convulsing harder, her free hand grabbed his arm, holding on hard as she came, scratching into his skin while her vision was blurring. Suddenly he let go. She didn't know what was happening until she was laying flat on her stomach, Amos on top of her, his cock still embedded deep inside her, the ship shaking around them. Amos pulled some of the straps from the edges of the bunk, but couldn't reach all of them. He secured them to the mattress as gravity increased, pressing them down. Anna felt the air being pressed out of her lungs. She gasped, and felt Amos trying to lift himself up slightly, but the ship rocked again. They slid sideways, Anna pulling her head to the side, gulping in air. Amos arms held her firmly in place as the ship contorted again. She wondered how he wasn`t turning flaccid in the turbulence. But he didn't seem worried about the ship`s movement at all. “Alex is a good pilot.” he whispered. He lazily moved his hips against her, and Anna met his anticipatory thrusts as best she could under the weight of him and the gravity pushing her down. The ship convulsed again, and Amos grunted in her ear as he leaned heavily on her and came with a few quick, hard thrusts. He lay still, until Anna tapped him on his arm, whispering “air.” He tried to roll off, the straps restricting his movement, but was able to give her enough room for her to slide over on her side. His cock slid slowly out of her, and he wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Sorry” he whispered in her ear. Anna was confused. The ship didn't move now. She hadn't noticed it had stopped. The gravity was lifting. Not just to the familiar .5 g, but she felt herself floating inside the restraints of the straps. “That was intense.” She turned to look at him. He didn't meet her eye. “Thought we had more time.” he mumbled as he started unbuckling the straps. Anna felt cum dripping slowly out of her. Looking down she saw thick droplets of it floating away in the air. She couldn't help but smile. Amos saw it too, smirked as he was pulling on his clothes. “Why have we stopped?” she asked, reaching for her own clothes, now hovering near her head. Amos shrugged. He activated his mag-boots and took a few steps towards the door. He turned, and picked the tray and food out of the air, putting it in a cabinet. His comm flared to life, “Amos, get up here”, Naomi’s voice said hurriedly, before cutting off. Amos turned to Anna, “You should probably stay strapped in a while longer, don't know if we are going to stay still.” Anna nodded, and pulled at the straps again. She heard the door close, and he was gone.


	6. Sticks and Stones

Anna kicked off the bunk, floating rather ungracefully towards the small bathroom, her clothes under her arm. No way she was going to stay naked and sticky in the bunk for an indefinite amount of time until someone walked through the door again. Not taking the chance of a shower in 0 g, she quickly washed up and was pulling on her clothes when the ship roared to life, making a sharp jolt. She landed on her half dressed ass on the floor. Gravity was returning fast as the ship sped up, and she pulled the rest of her clothes in order right there on the floor, not daring to move out of the bathroom. She stayed there waiting for a while, till the crushing sense of full g left, and was replaced by .5. She heard a voice through the comm system by the door. “Sorry ‘bout that folks’” Alex’ voice chipped, sounding frazzled, “All well now”. 

Alex shut off the comm, and leaned back in his char. “I think we lost them,” he said, breathing out slowly and scanning the displays for the fifteenth time. “Who are they anyway?” Naomi asked as she unbuckled her straps and rose from the seat. James Holden came up beside her, “Belters, probably” he said, “Didn’t look like UN or Martian ships.” “Yeah, I could see that,” Naomi said, walking over to Alex, leaning over his shoulder, looking at the replay of the ship that had pursued them. “What would they want with us, anyway?” Holden sighed. “Nothing good, since they didn’t answer our hails.” He turned to Alex, “Maybe we should do some detours, make sure they aren't following us back to Tycho.” Alex nodded. Holden was on his way down the stairs, heading to his beloved coffee machine, when Miller stopped him on the bottom step. “Wailing down in the belter-cabins,” he said, “Gonna’ need some backup.” 

Down in the belter-cabins, people were pounding on the doors. Alex opened one of the them, and Amos had to hold the occupants back as they tried to push their way into the hallway. “What is the situation?” Holden asked loudly. One belter stepped forwards; “No respect for belter life, maneuvering like that with no warning, we have several injured in here.” As Naomi keyed open the next door, he pointed to her, “Letting your people break their bones is fun, ey, welwalah?” he said, taking a step towards her. He was pushed violently back by Amos coming around the corner. The occupants of the next cabin came pouring out, but they were fewer, and only a couple joined in the following kerfuffle. They were swiftly overpowered by the crew. Naomi stepped into the cabin she had opened; “Two wounded in here, we should get them to med-bay,” she said. Alex came out of the first cabin, “Three in here,” he turned to the belters in the hallway, most of them uninjured saved the one who had aimed towards Naomi, he had a freshly broken arm, Amos holding him in place by the other. “Are you gonna’ help us get your friends to the medbay?” Alex asked them. Most of them returned to the cabins, helping the injured make their way out into the hallway. Amos pushed the man he was holding in front of him. Alex was about to follow when Holden stopped him, “Get back upstairs,” he whispered. 

Something was different. The thick silence that normally inhabited the room with her when she was alone was being broken by muffled sounds. Anna went over to the door, and put her ear to it to try to discern what was going on. The sounds were coming from somewhere outside, but quite far away. Raised voices. A thud, and another one. Anna leaned on the door, putting her hand against the wall for support, and jumped back when the door started sliding away infront of her. She had touched the pad on the wall. The door was unlocked. She stood in the doorway, blinking, unsure of what to do. Did Amos know he didn’t lock it? Would he remember, and be on his way back? Anna took a step back into the room. Her safe room was suddenly exposed. It didn’t feel like the same room anymore. She had stopped thinking about it as her prison cell after Naomi had taken her out on their daily maintenance trips. Now she saw it again, the way it had seemed when Alex first had tried to get her to go into it. The muffled sounds didn’t sound any louder with the door open. Either they were dying down, or they were moving further away. Anna took a small step forward, and leaned her head out the door. The hallway was empty. To both sides. She turned to the side leading away from where the sounds had come from, and ran. She knew this way lead to the engineering levels and the hold. Away from the cabins, the galley and the other places it was likely to run into people. Reaching the end of the hallway she stopped. Blood pumping in her ears made it hard to hear for other sounds. She took a breath, slowly willing her heart rate to slow down. No sounds. A quick peek around the corner showed another empty hallway. The large door on the end leading into the staircase which lead down into engineering and further down to the engine rooms. She walked as quietly and calmly as she could, and shivered as she put her palm on the pad to open the door. She was holding her breath as it made a sound and moved out of her way. 

The medbay was overcrowded. Miller and Holden walked the uninjured belters back to the cabins in small groups. They seemed pacified now, only grumbling questions about what the maneuvering was about, and what their destination was, receiving only non committal answers. When Miller and Holden returned to the medbay, the man with the broken arm was agitated, and Amos was strapping him down into a chair. The other six were quiet, watching Naomi take stock of their injuries, Miller joining her, trying to figure out what to deal with first, and how. There were mostly broken bones from being flung around the cabin without warning, and one man had gotten a substantial knock to the head, now sliding in and out of consciousness. Holden stood in the doorway, arms crossed, assessing everyone of them. A man was eyeing Naomi and Miller, and after a short while he stood up. He took a limping step, and his wrist was in an unusual angle. Holden started towards him, but stopped when he spoke. “Anna was the union medic on the docks,” he said, “Where is she?” The man strapped in his chair tired to jump up, “What did you do to her, did you float her, welwalah?” he spit at Miller who was standing closest to him. Naomi looked up, she was bending over the man with the head wound. “Amos,” she said quietly, “Go get Anna.” 

“Again,” Alex said, and the display reset. He was replaying his evasive maneuvers, looking for things he could have done differently, but couldn’t find any. If those belters would just have strapped in properly and stayed strapped in. But he couldn’t throw all the blame on them, the unknown ships had taken them surprise, moving much faster than they had been anticipating. Their course would have intercepted them in a matter of hours if the Roci didn’t change hers, and throw them off their scent. And he hadn’t waited long after giving notice before moving his precious ship into action. He hadn’t really waited at all. He watched the ships moving on the display. Those weren’t any regular rockhoppers. Atleast they weren’t stealth ships. These ships were manageable. Even if they were faster than they should be. Nothing Roci couldn't handle. Amos came clambering up the stairs.  
“Hey, bro. Seen Anna?” he said, making Alex swivel his chair around and look at him. “You know, the earther prisoner?” Amos continued. “Yeah, I know,” Alex said, “Did you lose her?” Amos stared at him blankly. “She’s not in her cabin.” he said. Alex suppressed a smirk. “Holden is going to have a fit.” he mumbled, and pulled up Roci’s access system on the display. “Someone’s been opening the end door of that hallway,” he said. Amos turned to go down the stairs again. “And the door to engineering”; Alex yelled after him. Amos stopped in the middle of the stairs, looking at Alex. “Don’t tell Holden yet.” he said. Alex shrugged and turned back to the display, waving his hand to make it return to his replay. After a couple of reruns he got bored, and pulled up the ships surveillance. He checked the medbay. Naomi, Miller and Holden were patching up injuries, all seemed quite calm. He pulled up the feed from a bit earlier, and watched Anna peek her head out of the door, and proceed to running down the hallway. Not the first time she’s run down a hallway on this ship, he thought, although, then she was running away from me. He scanned the nearby hallways and rooms. Nothing there. Then he resumed to watching her escape through the door, down the stairs to engineering. I’m such a creep. He left the display open at the staircase and fast forwarded almost 15 minutes, until Amos appeared on the screen, running down the stairs. He waved the display away, and leaned back in his chair. Not my problem. He pulled up the replays of the maneuvers again, fiddling with the POW, and having Roci calculate the likely trajectory of the other ships. 

Anna slipped into the darkness between large stacks of crates, magnetically locked to the floor under the staircase in the hold. She could see the air filter lying on the floor, a short distance from where she had left it. It had probably had a bit of a flight in 0 g. Automatically her hand went to her pocket, feeling around for the tiny screws. They weren't there. She remembered she had dropped them on the floor of her cabin. They could be anywhere by now. Her stomach made a small growl. She had forgotten to eat the food Naomi had brought her. She should have brought it with her. Although, it wouldn’t have been enough anyway, if she was going to hide out here for weeks, until they reached port. What was she doing here anyway. There was nowhere to run to. She had acted purely on instinct, escaping the cabin. Although she had thought that she managed being locked in there most of the day just fine, it wasn’t until the door had opened that she had realized that it had become too stifling. Or maybe she hadn’t realized it even then. The primal part of her brain had taken over, seen a way out, and made her legs bolt. Short time thinking. Stupidity again. She considered going back. But she didn’t want to. Instead she moved further in between the crates, and emerged on the other side. Large objects, looking like machine parts, were bolted to the floor. On the other side was darkness. She walked around one of the parts, it was gleaming metallic oblong shape, but she had no idea what it was for. A sound higher up made her freeze in place. The door up there was opening. She heard footsteps. The door closed again. As the footsteps reached the first wrung of the staircase, she slid quietly further into the darkness towards the back wall.


	7. Held up in the hold

The aroma of the tea in his hand filled his nostrils. Alex walked slowly up the stairs and sat down carefully in his chair, mindful not to spill anything on the Roci’s controls. Blowing on the cup in his hand, he pulled up the display again. He checked the cameras of the medbay. All seemed well there. The injured had been bandaged up. Miller was sitting next to the unconscious man. It looked like they were both napping. He checked the hallways and saw Naomi and Holden in the door of one of the belter cabins, talking to the occupants. He watched for a while, but it all seemed amicable enough. 

The footsteps had quieted after they had traversed the staircase down into the hold. She could see a shadow moving, but it was strangely quiet save from the hum of the engines. She could tell from the movement who it was. He slipped into the shadows of the crates. Anna slid quietly along the wall, one foot first, then the rest of her body followed, keeping her eye on the spot where she had last seen the shadow. She heard her own breath and closed her eyes to slow it down. Her foot bumped into something, and she involuntarily took a sharp intake of breath. Her hand reached tentatively out, and felt the cold metal wall. She had reached the far end of the wall. Following the wall further would mean walking into the lighted area. Her eyes adjusted to the gloomy half-darkness. Something was in front of her. A stack of crates. Anna exhaled and leaned back into the wall in the corner. But then the crates moved. A shadow broke free from the thick darkness of the crates. Soundlessly, it moved towards her. She knew who it was. And suddenly she felt like giggling. The pointlessness of her actions leading her here, the stupid decisions she had made, not just today, but for the last decade. There was no point in trying to do the right thing. She didn’t even know what that thing was. Probably sitting quietly in her cabin. No more of that. She darted out of the shadows, brushing her shoulder against him as she passed. He launched after her, but she had too much speed now. She was out into the light, halfway to the stairs before his hand clamped round her arm, yanking her back against him. He lifted her by her upper arms and walked to the far wall, opposite the stairs, till her back was pushed against the cold metal surface. Anna was laughing. She thought momentarily that she had gone mad, but concluded at the same time that if that was so, she didn’t care. Amos put her down, looking confused. She grabbed hold of the collar of his flightsuit and pulled him down towards her and kissed him. He was no longer confused.

Alex flipped through the surveillance feeds and saw Naomi and Holden walking in the corridor, walking close, heads together like they were whispering. A pang of creepedness made him quickly switch feeds. This was why he didn’t go through the surveillance unless there was something particular they needed to check on. However innocent, Alex really didn’t want to see the daily lives of his crewmates that he had to talk to eye to eye later. The feed of the medbay was still calm, he could see Miller walking about, but all the patients were either sleeping or just really relaxed. He would have to remember to ask Naomi if they had drugged them. Casually flipping further through the feeds, the other corridors were all empty. The belter cabins were quiet. He came to the feed that was the reason why he had started watching the surveillance in the first place. At first he couldn't discern what he was seeing. There was movement in the corner of the display, but it was mostly blocked by a stack of crates. He took a deep sip of tea and switched to one of the holds other cameras to get a different angle. I guess Amos found her then, he thought before the tea blew out of his mouth and nose, spraying across the dashboard in front of him. He stared at the display, mesmerized. Amos wouldn’t, would he? Of course he wouldn’t. For all Alex knew it could be completely consensual. He felt bad for even thinking something like that about Amos. But she had run away. She had escaped her cabin, and gone off, away from them all. And here she was. Not that he could see that much of her. The view was obscured by Amos’ back. But there was no doubting what they were doing. Footsteps in the stairs behind him made him jump. He quickly waved the display away and pulled his sleeve down over his hand to wipe the dashboard. Naomi came up, followed by Holden. She took a look at his flustered face, and hurried wiping hand and got a worried look on her face.  
“Is everything ok?” she said, slowly sitting down in the chair next to Alex’. Alex finished wiping and turned around, meeting Holdens eye. He quickly looked away and flopped down in his chair. “Yeah, all fine and dandy,” He mustered, flashing Naomi a wide grin. “Ok” she said slowly, as Holden came to stand behind her chair. “The refugees have all calmed down. Miller is watching the man with the headwound just in case. The others will all be fine in no time. We will move them back to their quarters soon.” Holden said, looking wary. Alex picked up his teacup, holding it with both hands. “Good, good.” he said. “No news here, I think we are well clear of any followers.” looking at Holden. “Alight,” Holden replied, “I need a coffee.” He turned to go, but Naomi didn’t move. Alex watched her out of the corner of his eye. When the sound of Holden's footsteps had faded, she leaned forwards. “The refugees said Anna was a union medic on the Eros docks.” she started. Alex carefully took a sip of tea, and over the rim of the cup he saw a drop he had missed when wiping off the dashboard. “I sendt Amos to get her.” Naomi said. Alex looked at her. It would be rude not to. He swallowed the tea in his mouth, it was tepid.“Ok,” he said. “They didn’t show up at the medbay. He’s not answering his comm,” Naomi said, not quite sounding worried. Not yet. “I stopped by her cabin, it was empty.” Alex cleared his throat. “Maybe they stopped for coffee?” Naomi relaxed back in her chair, “Have you seen them?” 

“We have to be quick” he whispered in her ear. He was holding her legs up, Anna was facing the wall. Even though she was pushing back from the wall with both hands, she felt like she was flying. The image of a witch flying with a broomstick between her legs burst into her mind and she let out a giggle. “Don’t we always?” she asked. He pushed her further into the wall, burrowing deeper into her. “Not always.” he said, and she could hear the strain in his voice. But then he shifted his stance, just slightly, and started hitting the spot that made her brain tingle. “Oh fuck” she moaned. She could almost feel his smirk behind her back. “You like that princess?” he breathed. She tried to answer, but he was picking up the pace. She gritted her teeth to keep from moaning too loudly, and flung one hand back and grabbed hold of his arm to hold on as he intensified his thrusts. Her other hand was slipping down the wall, searching for purchase. He twisted his arm around under her thigh, and his fingers found her clit. He teased it and rubbed it in rhythm with the movement. He was just too skilled at that. Anna slammed both her hands to the wall and pushed back, clenching and trapping him balls deep as she came, sight blurring, muttering “fuck, fuck, fuck” through gritted teeth. She pulled in lungfuls of air as if she had been drowning. Amos let one of her feet down to the floor, holding her hips so she wouldn’t wobble. When he was satisfied she could stand on her own, he grabbed her hair and pulled her head back towards him. “Scream for me, princess.” Anna looked confused up at him, and he flashed her a grin before pushing her forwards again and pounding hard into her. His hands clamped down on her hips again, and Anna's hands automatically grabbed them, holding on to his wrists as he fucked her harder and harder. She was back to the place where she couldn’t decide if she wanted it to stop, or never end. Her brain was fizzing, and her walls started convulsing again. She was no longer in control of her vocal cords. Staccatoed moans preceded high pitched screams. Her pussy clenched around him and she was sure she would pass out from endorphin overload as it went into overdrive, sending electric tingles to her toes and blanketing her brain. She could hear his panting grunts as he pulled her back and held her in place while he finished with a few deep staccatoed thrusts. 

«Hey you,» Miller rubbed his eyes. He had fallen asleep, Julie’s voice calling melodiously to him. «Hey, Star Helix, over here» the gruff voice was definitely not Julie’s. He sat up straighter and looked around the room. It was empty save himself, one belter, and the unconscious man with the head injury. «What?» he said, shoving his hat to the back of his head. «Your friends took the others back to the cabins», the man said. «Why are you still here then?» Miller said. The man nodded at his unconscious comrade. «Ain’t leaving him,» he said as Miller stood up. «So you’ll watch while I go get some coffee then?» he said and walked towards the door. The man shuffled in front of him, blocking his way. «What did they do to Anna?» he said, his eyes were curious, but not menacing. Miller scratched his forehead «I don’t know what you mean.» The medbay door slid open, and Anna walked in followed by Amos. «Caleb, what happened?» said Anna, rushing to the side of the man in front of Miller. «Where have you been?» Caleb hugged her, taking her by surprise. It took a long second before she hugged him back. When he finally let go he leaned down and looked at her «We have been worried about you, Ongee.» Anna didn’t know how to respond. They had never been that close. It hadn’t occurred to her that the belter’s had given her any thought after she left their cabin. «I’m fine» she muttered, and took a step back, «what happened to you?» She looked at his braces wrist and looked around, seeing the unconscious man on a reclined chair. «Is that…?» she started. «Some of us took a tumble when the ship lurched earlier. Ben is the only one not on his feet again yet. The crew patched us up as best they could. He was supposed to go get you.» Caleb looked at Amos, who stood by the door. «She’s here now» he shrugged folding his arms over his chest and ignoring the look Anna sent him. Miller cleared his throat. «I’m not needed here anymore then?» he said, and walked slowly out the door when no one argued.


End file.
